How Important is Calibrating Materials Testing Systems?

There are many different reasons why you should calibrate your testing system. Primarily, calibration is performed to ensure that your testing system is operating within its requirements. Whether these requirements are established by law, government regulation, industry regulation, or your own company quality system, organizations have recognized the importance of calibrating systems at regular intervals. The decision to calibrate is related directly to the level of risk your organization is willing to assume or the accuracy of results that are necessary. Calibrating your testing system will provide you with the confidence that your system is performing up to expectations.

The outcome of using an uncalibrated testing system is that it could be producing inaccurate results. This inaccuracy could lead to good products being rejected or potentially bad products being released for use. Ultimately, these results could be recognized by the end user as poor product quality that directly affects the material's performance.

Calibration can also provide you with information about the performance of your testing system. Like preventative maintenance on equipment, calibrating at regular intervals can expose hidden system issues that, if not addressed, could lead to failure. In general, consistent calibration and preventative maintenance keeps your testing system in the best possible condition and ensures it is capable of producing valid results.

To assist, Instron® Connect within Bluehill® Universal Software, syncs with your Instron testing system and sends timely verification reminders to take action on this important task. This friendly reminder not only shortens your to-do list, it helps you produce accurate test results and pass quality audits!